Navy, Army and Air Force Preparing to Fight Covid-19 in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Aware that the traditional health care system will not be sufficient to meet the large number of people infected by the new coronavirus, the Armed Forces are currently considering resorting to field hospitals to provide support in the fight against the Covid-19.

These hospitals are designed for use in military and humanitarian operations and therefore have low bed capacity and “must be suited to the current pandemic conditions”.

The Ministry states that “due to the potential for high demand and the limited availability and capacity of these resources, the support of the field hospitals will be carefully assessed”.

“In addition, the Navy, Army and Air Force will be able to assist in screening people suspected of being infected for referral to hospitals,” it adds.

According to the ministry, last Friday, March 20th, the Joint Operations Center was activated to help coordinate and plan the deployment of the Armed Forces in the fight against the Covid-19.

Ten Joint Commands were also implemented, covering the entire national territory, in addition to the Aerospace Command (COMAE), which is permanently operational.

The Ministry of Defense also reported that the Armed Forces “will remain in a position to provide operational and logistical resources when required to assist the efforts”.

It adds that the military may be deployed to assist federal operations, control passengers and crew at airports, ports and maritime terminals, and control access to borders.

Military units specialized in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (DQBRN) may be deployed to decontaminate personnel, environments and materials.